40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes

Hat tip to ysmarko for the video and the transcript, to which I only added the first bit. The video below is inspirational speeches from 40 different movies, all edited together into one two-minute speech. See how many you can recognize! Transcript is below.



Shame on you. This could be the greatest night of our lives, but you’re going to let it be the worst. And I guarantee a week won’t go by in your life you won’t regret walking out, letting them get the best of you. Well, I’m not going home. We’ve come too far! And I’m going to stay right here and fight for this lost cause. A day may come when the courage of men fails… but it is not THIS day. The line must be drawn HERE. This far, no further! I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. You’re going to work harder than you ever worked before. But that’s fine, we’ll just get tougher with it! If a person grits his teeth and shows real determination, failure is not an option. That’s how winning is done! Believe me when I say we can break this army here, and win just one for the Gipper. But I say to you what every warrior has known since the beginning of time: you’ve got to get mad. I mean plum mad dog mean. If you would be free men, then you must fight to fulfill that promise! Let us cut out their living guts one inch at a time, and they will know what we can do! Let no man forget how menacing we are. We are lions! You’re like a big bear, man! This is YOUR time! Seize the day, never surrender, victory or death… that’s the Chicago Way! Who’s with me? Clap! Clap! Don’t let Tink die! Clap! Alright! Let’s fly! And gentlemen in England now abed shall know my name is the Lord when I tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take our Independence Day!

My First Attempt at Spiced Cider

I bought cider and mulling spices at Woodman's, thinking it would be something I'd like to try.

Not bad, really. I tried to use my coffee pot (built into my microwave), but for some reason the reservoir is leaking horribly. So, I had to scratch that idea. With that idea out, I opted for simmering on the stove, simply putting the mulling spices right in. Not bad, until it came time to take them out so I could drink the cider. I had a skimmer, which helped, but I ended up simply ladling the cider out and pouring it through the skimmer into a mug, which made for quite a mess. Next time I try this, I think I'll invest in a french press first. It works for coffee, why not for cider? I'm also wondering if I should start with a different sort of cider, or maybe apple juice. Anybody else out there done this before? Any advice to offer?

A Red, White and Blue Christmas

The White House Website is featuring the ornaments sent in by all 50 states to adorn the 2008 White House Christmas Tree. The link above will take you to the list by state, where you can click through to view each state's contribution. I particularly like the eagle ornament sent in from Wisconsin's 8th district.

Hat tip Rightyblog.

Boldly Protecting Christmas!

Hat tip and link to The Dave Casper Experience for this week's (slightly early) Friday Funny.

The ACLU Has Officially Gone Off the Deep End

As evidenced by the news that they are opposing the I-94 Widening Project on the grounds that it is harmful to minorities and low-income groups. You really can't make this stuff up.

H/T Glenn at Badger Blogger

A Unique Christmas Experience

Remember the classic movie A Christmas Story? Well, if you've got a few thousand dollars lying around not doing anything, you can spend Christmas Eve and Day in the house where the movie was shot. The package includes airfare to Cleveland, a Christmas Eve Chinese dinner, a stay at the Renaissance Cleveland hotel, two BB guns, and more. I wish I had the money for this.

Romney on the Detroit Big Three

Excellent op-ed piece in the New York Times (of all places) by former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney on the bailout the Big Three are seeking. What I really appreciate about this is that he doesn't just say let them fail, he outlines what they can do to regain their footing, and what the government can do to help them. As he states in the article, his dad was brought on to run American Motors after the death of its president, and he learned a lot from that. His most important point, though, is that if Detroit wants help from the government, they need to create a win-win situation, which they haven't done yet. Go read the whole thing; it's not long, and I guarantee it's worth it.

Side Note: Post number 75! 100 here we come!

Big Three Bailout: Not So Fast

CNN is reporting this afternoon that while Congress intends to keep the Big Three afloat, they will need to show what it is they are going to do with the $25 Billion they are after. Said Pelosi: "This is an important industry in our country and we intend to save it. Until they show us a plan we cannot show them the money."

While I don't think a bailout of the Big Three is a great idea (they got themselves into this mess, let them go to bankruptcy court and get themselves out, not to mention the first bailout was supposed to get credit flowing again), there is no doubt in my mind that it will happen. I am at least encouraged that Congress is not going to simply throw good money after bad. But, here's the catch; most of the members of Congress are going to be leaving town on Thursday, and aren't expected back until next year. So, if this doesn't get done by Thursday... things will get interesting, fast.

Cat Sleeps On Turnstile

Video from an unmanned train station in Hiroshima, Japan, where there is a cat that lives at the station, and is often found sleeping on the turnstile. Even as the train was coming in and leaving, and people were putting tickets in and scanning passes... the cat just sleeps through it all. My cats are nowhere near this calm.

OK, I'll Bite

Elliot at From Where I Sit made an interesting offer that I decided I had to take him up on, so, here goes.

If you're not reading From Where I Sit, you really should. It's a well-written blog, and since he posts far more often than I do, it's worth your time to add him to your feed reader. Yes, I know, I should blog more. It's just that I'm busy with work, school, and volunteer stuff, although there's no shortage of stories in the news that irk me to the point that I have a few things (or a lot of things) to say about them.

So what are you waiting for? Get over there already!

Another Place where Photo ID Is Required

As I have mentioned before on this blog, I am currently enrolled part time at MATC, attending classes at the downtown campus. As I was walking back to my car after class today, I passed the Student Accounts window, where students can pick up financial aid checks. Prominently displayed is a sign stating that in order to do so, a student must present their valid MATC Student ID card and... a driver's license, state ID, or Milwaukee County ID.

And yet, MATC brings in Jim Doyle to speak to the student body. The same Jim Doyle who has opposed Voter ID at every turn. In order to pick up a financial aid check at MATC, I need a photo ID. But in order to vote, all I have to do is walk in and tell them my name.

What's wrong with this picture?

The Lie of Deregulation

Tip of the hat to Verum Serum for putting up this video and the bullet point summary. I'll send you there instead of reposting the whole thing here.

Obama: Hypothetically Speaking

Tip of the hat, and congratulations, to John and Scott over at Verum Serum on their first YouTube video.

Milwaukee Labor's Obama Love Fest

As I've mentioned previously on the blog, my dear mother has worked for Milwaukee County for over 25 years, and as a member of the AFL-CIO/Milwaukee Area Labor Council (translation: union), she receives their Labor Press newspaper periodically. I've never paid much attention to it in the past (truth be told, neither did she), but lately I've taken to glancing over it, as much of the content has been political in nature. Previously, I covered Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton's foul mouth in regard to the County Executive race. Now, they've got a much bigger fish to fry; the White House, and getting Obama into it.

According to their front page article, "it seems that Republicans can only win November 4 by discouraging voter turnout, while the Democrats must strive for record turnout to guarantee a mandate for change." Yeah, change; the only thing we'll have left if BHO becomes POTUS. They talk about how he's raising more money than McCain; no mention of the fact he did this by bailing out of the public financing system he said he was going to use, and of course no mention of the fact that there are virtually NO safeguards in place to keep people from outside the US, or even people that don't exist, from donating to his campaign, which has been covered elsewhere.

Here's another fantastic quote: "Obama has been a balanced steady voice with practical ideas through the economic disaster." Practical? Like, say, allowing people to pull up to $10,000 out of their 401K plans, which will further depress the stock market? Like "spreading the wealth around," as he puts it? I could go on.

Go read the whole thing, if you can. I can't stomach it.

Twitter, anyone?

If you're on twitter, and would like to follow me (even though I don't update often), my name on twitter is wannabenewsboy.

UPDATE: You can now see my latest tweets on the sidebar.

Obama Admits ACORN Will Shape His Presidency

Hooters in Brookfield?

When pigs fly, maybe.

A post on JSOnline's Newswatch blog this evening informs us that Hooters of America has obtained the building that formerly housed Pedro's, along with their long-term lease. Mayor Jeff Speaker could not be reached for comment, but one alderman (not identified in the post) has already received an objection from a Brookfield resident.

Here's the best part:

Mike McNeil, Hooters' vice president of marketing, said he did not expect any controversy and believed the eatery would be well-received by patrons.

Well received? No controversy? In the city that wanted McDonald's to not use their trademark Golden Arches on the rebuild of their Moorland Road location, going so far as to say that they couldn't be so much as etched in glass in more than two windows? The city that pitched a proper fit over the La Quinta's two-tone paint job? Not to mention the outcry over the trim (yes, the TRIM) on The Fresh Market? He seriously thinks Brookfield is just going to let them set up shop?

Mr. McNeil, whatever it is you're smoking, please remember that it's polite to share.

JS Editorial: "Nope, No Media Filtering Here"

Yeah, right. The JS, in an editorial in today's paper, denies that there is any media filtering going on with Sarah Palin. Unfortunately, that's just not true.

As shown elsewhere in the blogosphere, the MSM has been making edits that have either hurt Palin, helped Obama, or both.

Nope, nothing to see here, move along, these aren't the droids you're looking for.

H/T to Verum Serum and The Mark Levin Show

Understatement of the Week Award

In the Student Center at MATC, relaxing and surfing between classes while watching MSNBC. They had on a newscaster from Anchorage, who said that Joe Biden has a "tendency" toward gaffes.

Understatement of the week? That might be the understatement of the campaign so far...

Who Put the House on Fire?

That's the question asked by John over at Verum Serum, who also provides the link to a related Hot Air article, complete with video and highlights. The Democrats continue to try to pin the whole thing on the Republicans, but in truth, the Dems are the ones who created this mess, and the Republicans tried to stop it, but were rebuffed at every turn.

More on the Meltdown

Hat tip to Ace of Spades for this video, another dealing with the current economic meltdown, who's behind it all, who tried to stop it, and who benefited from the events leading up to it.


UPDATE: Would help to embed the actual video...

A Brief History of Financial Crisis

This could also be described as a brief history of how we found ourselves in the mess we are currently in, who we have to blame for it, and who tried to stop it before it started. With a tip of the hat to John at Verum Serum, I present the following from Fox News:



No further comment from me. You, however, are welcome to have at it.

The Real Culprit Behind the Fannie/Freddie Meltdown

From an editorial in Investors Business Daily:

Obama in a statement yesterday blamed the shocking new round of subprime-related bankruptcies on the free-market system, and specifically the "trickle-down" economics of the Bush administration, which he tried to gig opponent John McCain for wanting to extend.

But it was the Clinton administration, obsessed with multiculturalism, that dictated where mortgage lenders could lend, and originally helped create the market for the high-risk subprime loans now infecting like a retrovirus the balance sheets of many of Wall Street's most revered institutions.

Go read the rest.

H/T Verum Serum

Fri... er, Saturday Funny

Hat tip to ysmarko, here's a mashup of Home Alone and I Am Legend. If you've seen the latter and remember the former, hopefully you'll find this as funny as I did.

Where Were You

when the world stopped turning on that September day?



I was working at Pizzeria Uno in Elm Grove at the time. I started work at 8AM, like I usually did. I was a prep cook at the time, working in the back of the house. We had a feed of the jukebox, so I didn't hear anything that was going on.

Around 10AM, when the servers started arriving, I'd go out to the front drink station to get something to drink. The servers were all at the bar, as they usually were. Today, though, something was very different. Usually, they were watching The Price is Right; kind of a goofy tradition, but it was fun. Not today, though. Today, I walked out to the bar to find CNN on the TV. When I asked what was going on, they told me; somebody flew a plane into the side of the World Trade Center.

I had to get back to work, but we had a TV in the back of the house, near the mananger's office, which was tuned in to the news for the rest of the day. I would stop back for updates as I could. That night, I went down to First Assembly of God in Kenosha, WI, to hear Steve Hill of the Brownsville Revival speak. We had been planning the trip for a few weeks, and decided that in light of the events of the day, there was no place else we'd rather be than in a church, praying for our country. To this day, I remember one of the men in our church telling us that his brother was a manager of a floor of an office building near the WTC, who had gotten one of the last calls going out, only to tell them he was OK. It had been hours since anyone had heard from him. Hours that seemed like eternity.

In the days that followed, I got on with the business of life; going to work, going to church, that sort of thing. But I knew that our country would never be the same. Some time after the attacks, I was going through some pictures I had taken on a trip to New York in February of that year. In among them was a picture of the Twin Towers with the sun setting between them, that I had taken from New York Harbor. We had gone on a dinner and dancing cruise, and took plenty of pictures. In light of what had happened, it was poignant, for lack of a better word.

Seven years later, I sit at my desk at home, having come home from two classes at MATC today, getting ready to go to work tonight. In some ways, it seems like a long time ago, and in others, it seems like only yesterday. I hope to make it back to New York City someday, and see where the towers once stood.

I will always remember, the eleventh of September, when our world stopped, and our country changed forever. Tomorrow, we can get back to the elections, the political issues we debate so often, all of that. For today, let us remember what happened that day, and remember those who lost their lives. Let us remember those who gave their lives in defense of our country, and pray for those who are still defending us at home and abroad. And let us pray, and work, and hope, so that such a tragedy never befalls us again.

Round Four (Five?) for Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader was on CNN today, talking about McCain/Palin, Obama/Biden, and why he's running for president again. Here's a CNN article from February, pointing out that this is his fourth attempt at the White House, fifth if you count his write-in campaign. As I recall (and as CNN pointed out), Nader cost Gore the election in 2000. Of course, Nader went on about how unfair the system is, how it is set up to keep him down, blah blah blah.

Please, please PLEASE let this be true. If it is, Nader may have just handed McCain the White House on a platter.

RIP Don LaFontaine

Deadline Hollywood is reporting at this hour that Don LaFontaine, voice of over 5,000 movie trailers and more than 750,000 TV commercials (featured recently in a Geico insurance commercial) has died at the age of 68, apparently of complications related to a blood clot in the lungs. This story is still developing, so details may change as time goes on.

RIP, Don. This is truly a sad day, not only for Hollywood, but for all of us who are or were professional voices. You gave us something to aspire to, and from what I read, you were a class act.

Hat tip: Pete Republic

A Thought About the Brett Favre Fiasco

It's not Ted Thompson's fault Favre decided to get a diva transplant.

Church on the Move! No, seriously...

Hat tip to ysmarko.

Obama: "Words"

Clinton wins Puerto Rico

And the beat goes on... NOTE-results are according to CNN exit polls.

Global "Warming": Consensus?

Not so much. According to NewsBusters, 31,000 American scientists were (at the time the article was published) ready to release a petition, signed by all of them, rejecting the theory of man-made global warming. Now, honestly, who are we going to believe; Al Gore (who doesn't have a degree in science) and a multitude of celebrities who are either high school/college dropouts or have degrees in unrelated fields, or 31,000 people who do this sort of thing for a living, 9,000 of which are PhDs?

Hat tip to SteveEgg, from his Morning Scramble.

Midwest/TPG Drink the Koolaid

The Gorebal "Warming" Koolaid, that is.

Was poking around their site today, as I have a vacation to Colorado coming up at the end of this month for a wedding (not mine). I wanted to check the flight info and make sure I put it into my phone so that it's easily accessible when needed. I clicked on the "Commitment to the Environment" quick link, and was taken to this page. They're even going to offer carbon offsets. Fantastic.


I can only hope that soon, the Gorebal "Warming" scam will be exposed for the farce that it is.

Hearing Aid Tax Credit

With all of the pork barrel spending and meaningless legislation that goes on in Washington these days, here is a bill that actually deserves some support. The Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act would allow a $1000 tax credit every 5 years for the purchase of up to two hearing aids. Currently, the bill would only allow this credit for those 55 or older, or those buying a hearing aid for a dependent. I'd like to see this expanded to cover people like my mom, who has not yet crossed the half century mark, who has used hearing aids all her life. With her aids, she has been able to raise two children, work in county health and human services for over 25 years, attend numerous school events my sister and I have been involved in, and so much more. Please take a moment to visit the site and consider emailing your congresspeople about this legislation.

YouTube: The Pelosi Premium

*UPDATE* With a tip of the hat to shoebox at No Runny Eggs (I had incorrectly hat-tipped steveegg previously), I present this video from YouTube entitled The Pelosi Premium, which details the Democrats broken promises about fuel prices.




This is part of the reason why I'm not voting for Obama or Clinton. Mind you, McCain doesn't thrill me either, but we're stuck with these three.

BREAKING NEWS: Northwest and Delta to Announce Merger

Worked a closing shift tonight, so this may not be quite so breaking anymore, but as a member of Northwest's frequent flyer program (not that I fly all that much), I received an email from NWA informing me that they are planning a merger with Delta Airlines, pending regulatory approval. The new airline will keep the Delta name, and will maintain all of the current hubs operated by both airlines.

This makes me fear for the future of Midwest.

Random Thought

I find it funny that Al Gore has written a book called The Assault on Reason.

Supporting the Troops, But Not Anti-Troop Movies

Hugh Hewitt weighs in on a Washington Post article about the performance of many of the recent Iraq war-related films.

So Much for Global Warming

The Winter of our Discontent (2007-2008 Edition) is getting ready for one more strike on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Hey Al Gore, whatever happened to global warming?

Tip of the hat to steveegg, with an accompanying warning; the second page of his post is not for the easily offended, but I think many of you will agree; this winter has gone on long enough.

Barbara Lawton: "I'll be damned if we let that happen."

Calling all bloggers, and any other interested parties. The latest issue of the AFL-CIO Milwaukee Labor Press just landed in my mailbox (Mom works for the county), and if you're interested in what's inside, let me know and I'll be happy to send it along to you. The big story is Lena Taylor's race for County Exec, against incumbent Scott Walker. Here's the money quote from Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton:
"It's essential not just for Milwaukee but for the entire state of Wisconsin. We must get rid of Scott Walker who holds government in contempt, who will never understand how government works and doesn't believe in it anyway, and will auction off our beloved county in pieces.
I'll be damned - excuse me - if we'll let that happen."

I must admit, I've never paid much attention to the LP in the past, but this is like the JS editorial board on steroids.

Blogroll Bloat: Lake Effect Edition

Please welcome Cooler Near the Lake to the According to Coop blogroll. Shawn is leaving the Brookfield NOW blogging community and breaking out on his own.

Keep the Death Tax Dead

Hat tip and big thanks to Real Debate for creating a petition to keep Wisconsin's death tax dead. Please go sign it, and pass along the link to others. This is one tax that never should have happened in the first place.

Why I'm *NOT* voting for Jim Doyle

Mind you, I have not made a decision as to who I am voting for come November, and I may not have even decided by the time the primaries roll around (which I don't usually vote in, but that's another matter entirely). First off, let me say that I have no problem with Jim Doyle campaigning for Barack Obama. If he campaigned for Hillary, I could deal with that. He's a democrat, they're democrats. Nothing wrong with that. What I have a problem with is Jim Doyle doing so IN KANSAS, ON STATE TIME. As Elliot points out, this is exactly the thing that landed Scott Jensen in hot water. I guess that rule doesn't apply to Uncle Jim...

H/T: Elliot at From Where I Sit

Thoughs on Ethanol

John Stossel sheds some light on the many myths of ethanol, including the myths that it's cleaner than gasoline, and cheaper to boot. I used to think ethanol was at least a step in the right direction. Now, not so much.

Tip of the hat to Pete at Pete Republic, who I am adding to the blogroll.

Where Is The Fear?

That's the question Nick is asking this afternoon. Go read the whole thing. The only comment I'll offer is that I couldn't agree more.

If you have heart trouble of any kind...

I beg of you, DO NOT CLICK THIS LINK! Viewing this article may cause a heart attack or heart failure.

I'm pretty sure this burger would kill me on the spot, but what a way to go...

H/T: Air1 Radio

Winter Wonderland WHERE???

In Iraq, of all places.

Any bets on how long it'll be before Al blames this on Gorebal Warming?

H/T: Still Unreal

What's Your Album Cover?

Since I'm at work and don't have access to Photoshop or anything similar, I will simply offer a tip of the hat to Nick at The World According to Nick for today's Friday Funny, and tell you how to find everything you need to make your own random album cover in three easy steps!

Step One:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first article title on the page is your band name.

Step Two:
http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four words of the very last quote will be your album title.

Step Three:
http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/
The third picture (no matter what it is) will be your cover art.

So, there you go. Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I'll have one up for all of you to enjoy.

Blogroll Bloat: The Drinking Right Edition

Thanks to Steve at No Runny Eggs for his help jogging my memory. I've added several blogs to the roll, all folks I met at Drinking Right on Tuesday at Papa's on Burleigh. I'm hoping to make it again next moth, we'll see what happens. Anyway, on to the additions:

Reality Check
Asian Badger
Musings of a Thoughtful Conservative
Washburn's World

More actual blogging is coming in the future, I promise. Work is dead lately, so I've gotta do something to pass the time.

Blogroll Update: According to Nick

Between meeting him at Drinking Right on Tuesday (thanks to all of you that I met Tuesday night, looking forward to doing it again and maybe having something to contribute to the discussion) and getting his blog recommended to me by Google Reader, I've decided it's high time to add The World According to Nick to my blogroll and feed reader. Now if I could remember some of the other bloggers I met Tuesday night...

CFLs Will Kill Us All

So much for the environmental benefits... according to a story from WorldNetDaily (h/t Air1 Radio), experts are recommending that if a CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulb breaks, you should leave the room for 15 minutes due to the mercury that ends up in the air. But wait, it gets better. After cleaning up the bulb (don't use a vacuum, use rubber gloves, and place the remains in a resealable plastic bag), take it to your local recycling center for "proper disposal." From the article: "It costs about $1,300 to properly dispose of one municipal recycling bin full of bulbs – a figure that is sure to increase residents' tax bills."

Out of sincere curiosity, does anyone know if there are plans in place to begin recycling used CFLs? Seems to me if we can re-use the mercury, we should.